Down Once More
by TheOtherPonineGirl
Summary: Based on an RP. What if the story as we know it was changed? What if Christine wasn't the only option for Carlotta's replacement? What if another muse caught Erik's eye? And what effect with the new girl at the opera have on our favourite soprano, opera ghost and vicomte? E/C, R/C, E/OC all possible.
1. Chapter 1

Kiara Greenwitch got off the carriage and stepped into the Opera Populaire, she looked about her eyes lighting up at such a beautiful Opera House, she had a look of reverence as she gazed about, they had NOTHING like this back in Ireland...

"Oh, wow!" She exclaimed softly treating almost like a Cathedral. "It is so beau'iful!" She said her accent popping out as she walked around her long fiery red hair hung loose looking like liquid flames as she looked around the Opera House.

Christine Daae waltzed past in a dreamlike daze, her eyes glassy and her light blonde hair flopped over it. She hummed to herself in Swedish...right until she crashed straight in to Kiara.

"Ahh! Jag är så ledsen! Damn, I mean, I'm so sorry mademoiselle!" she yelped, jumping back

Kiara nodded.

"Aye, is alright Lass no harm done eh?" She said her accent highlighting her voice prettily.

Meg rushed through the Opera, giving a relieved smile when she finally found Christine

"Christine! Goodness, I've been looking for you everywhere! Oh, hello there" she said politely, just noticing Kiara.

"Hello..." Kiara said softly.

"This is the Opera Populaire aye?" She asked calmly her accent seeped into every word with ease... she looked at Meg her green eyes looked like they were constantly mixing to find an eye colour shade of green to settle on.

Meg smiled warmly, staring at her eyes "Yes it is. Can I help you with anything?"

"A-Aye, I was sent to come to Paris, I'm supp'sed ta take over fer a Miss Carlotta..." She said gently, her voice was soft and sounded like she'd have a beautiful singing voice...

"I'm supposed to sing here... although I don't think I'm very good..." She muttered blushing softly.

"I'm sure if you were sent here, you must have a lovely voice!" Meg urged brightly.

"I-If you say so..." Kiara blushed. "I'd rather not upset the balance if there is any here, this is my first time outta Ireland..." she said sheepishly.

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to do..." she said even more sheepishly. "I was told to go inside an sing for ya..." she said gently.

"There really isn't a 'balance' here... we're all a sort of family here" she said, choosing to leave out to hierarchy of La Carlotta "Who were you supposed to sing for? You can sing for us if you'd like" she smiled, clutching Christine's hands.

Christine nodded enthusiastically, eyes lit up,

"Uh I can't pronounce his name... It's a little uhhh French..." Kiara laughed shakily, embarrassed.

"I can't speak french fluently... And what would you like me to sing? I'm a soprano so nothing too low sil vous plait..." She said softly.

"An I'm Kiara Greenwitch, please jus call me Kia..." she added.

"I'm Meg Giry, and it seems you've already run into Christine" Meg giggled "Oh, perhaps I should introduce you to mother, or the managers..." she added as a soft afterthought. "Just sing something you like, now you've gotten me intrigued!"

"Yes!" Christine begged, "You sound like you have a lovely voice!"

Kia sighed.

"Nice ta meet ya Ms. Giry..." She said softly and nodded.

"I suppose that'd be the best idea... and uhh alright...Let me think..." She nodded and sighed as she calmed herself, then she began to sing an aria about a woman mourning for her father.

She sang softly and sweetly her high voice was enough to cause passers-by to shed tears as she sang...

"Sorry, I missed my Father, I lived with my brother, my parents died years ago..." She said simply it wasn't an uncommon thing in Ireland...

She had finished the song singing as good as if not better than Christine... she was embarrassed at having sang and the look on her face proved it.

Meg gave a weak smile "I've only ever known my mother... but I'm sure Christine must miss her father as well" she said, looking sadly at her friend.

Christine barely registered Meg's comment as she was struck dumb with awe. When she finally realised that her best friend was staring at her, she shook her head to return herself to her normal frame of mind and nodded again.

Kia nodded.

"Like I said, I don't sing that well..." She laughed sheepishly. "I'd much prefer Christine to sing in my place..." She said rubbing the back of her head... she unpinned her hair as she sighed.

"It gets heavy I'm used to it being down.." she said as her long red hair fell down like a single wave of fiery red.

"Uh, no..I..I don't sing…" Christine murmured bashfully.

"Well why don't I show you around? I'll need to be getting off to rehearsal soon, but I can at least show you your room and maybe the theatre, if time should allow it" she smiled, grabbing both Kia and Christine's hands.

Kia nodded and let herself be shown about nodding and sometimes asking what a word meant she wasn't extremely fluent in French but she was good enough to speak and ask what a word was.

Meg showed Kia her room and left her bags there "Oh Christine! Look at the time! We've got to be getting to rehearsal, or mother will have us practicing longer tonight" she said, pulling Christine with her from the room, before turning back to Kia "You can come with us if you'd like. You could see the stage, and perhaps meet the managers, or even the patron!" she said excitedly.

Kia nodded smiling happily as she quickly followed them. Christine nodded and smiled silently, content to let her friend babble. She raced down the stairs in her ballet shoes to get to the stage in time, lest Madame Giry be angry. She dashed into the changing room and began to change into her slave costume for Hannibal.

"Meg, have you seen my skirt anywhere?" she asked, hunting around for the clothing item.

Meg shook her head "Sorry, no I haven't" she said, straightening out her costume, having already have changed into it.

"Åt helvete med det..." Christine muttered darkly under her breath, rummaging under a pile of clothes.

She eventually unearthed the beaded skirt and scrambled into it.

"Out of ten, how annoyed will your mother be if I'm late again?"

"Eleven" Meg laughed, crossing her arms.

"So we'd better go...?" Christine asked sheepishly, gesturing towards the door. Meg rolled her eyes, grabbing Christine's hand and pulling her from the room, towards the stage.


	2. Chapter 2

Erik looked down from his hiding place in the rafters at the rehearsal, nerves already on edge with the majority of the company. Carlotta was late, the ballerina's were a mess, the orchestra was struggling with the score and the chorus were off key.

Madame Giry watched the corps de ballet warm up, and as she was running through the routine in her mind she noticed two gaps in the formation out the corner of her eye. When Madame Giry turned the two gaps were filled by Meg and Christine. They were late, and she would have to scold them later. For now though it was time for practice. Christine hurried into her position in the ballet troupe, practising her transition from pointe to flat. Meg breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking her mother may not have noticed their lateness, and carried on with the routine. Erik spotted Christine in the crowd and his malformed lips broke into a smile, his golden eyes glowing from his great height.

Christine flinched when she saw Madame Giry, knowing full well she'd get an earful when rehearsal was over. Maybe she could redeem herself by actually keeping herself on ball that day. About half an hour passed and still no Carlotta. When she eventually swanned in, Erik huffed in impatience, it was so like the Prima Donna to be late, and then strut around as if she owned the place. Madame Giry turned and saw the Prima Donna walk in... late. Could anybody actually show up on time?! Besides her and of course the infamous Phantom. Even the managers weren't here yet.

Kiara may not have been the Prima Donna having not met Carlotta, she sighed and was inside with them she was standing to the side letting Christine show up as she arrived her long red hair was in a French braid having got in her way annoying her to no real end. She sat and waited with the rest of them... this was supposed to be the Miss Carlotta's last show.

Christine watched Kiara from her place in the chorus. She nudged Meg and said,

"So...why is the Irish lady here again?"

She said she was sent to replace Carlotta" Meg whispered back.

"What, Mamzelle Crapaud is leaving?" Christine said, a grin making its way onto her face, "Thank god!"

_My angel will be happy about that. At least I'm sure the new Mademoiselle can sing properly._ Christine thought, stretching into a demi-plié.

Carlotta came up as Kiara looked her over laughing.

"what iz thez?!" She scoffed. "Thiz iz nut the plaze for hur!" She laughed. Kiara looked away shuffling back a bit unprepared for the accented Diva's attack on her.

"I can sing better than alz of you!" she said before turning.

"'Ow, when do we begin?" she asked prepping her self as Kia slunk back a bit eyes wide slightly.

"I'm sure you all know, thiz weel beh, my lazt show here... I know, I know thaat thiz muzt be 'ard on you all but I will try an make thiz less painful..." She said vainly.

"With your singing? That'll be hard." Christine sniggered under her breath.

Carlotta ignored it off in her own little world before clearing her throat and singing an aria.

Kia winced and actually cringed. Carlotta was not facing her so she didn't see not even as Kiara made rather comical motions of banging her head into the wall. She stopped as the Diva finished her song and turned.

"Vell?! I'm ready!" she said.

Erik gave a twisted grin and cut the ropes of one of the backdrop so the massive painted cloth fell on the spoiled diva. Meg gasped

"He's here! The Phantom of the Opera!" she squeaked, clasping her hands together in almost a prayer-like way.

Kia blinked looking up seeing something of a silhouette before looking away.

"Who mademoiselle?!"

Meanwhile Carlotta was uncovered and was having the tantrum of a lifetime ranting in Italian...

"What you mean theze thingz eep appening if theze thingz eep appening theze thing does not appen!"

Christine squeaked and hid behind M Reyer's piano, searching the lofty space up in the roof. The managers moaned audibly. Firmin stepped forward to ask Kia if she could sing the role one day earlier. Kia blinked.

"I could but..." she said sheepishly too nervous to accept or decline.

"Please mademoiselle," André said urgently, "The show must go on!"

She nodded breifly.

"I'll try but I hope I don't get the same reaction..." she sighed Ireland was very spiritual and they believed in ghosts...

"Say, M'siuer is the Opera really haunted? And I'll sing..." She sighed and looked over the lines breifly...

"I'll try..." she sighed and took a deep breath... She then began to sing the song, her voice was beautiful, as said before she was as good if not better sounding soprano than Christine, her voice was clear and hit all the high notes being able to adjust to the scale flawlessly her voice was the thing music was made out of much like Christine's. When she finished it was dead silent everyone had been listening.

"How was that..." She asked nervously.

Madame Giry just noticed the new girl, her hair was red and braided behind her back. She was a pretty thing, she just hoped she could sing better than Carlotta...and that Erik approved of her. She had sung beautifully sounding equal if not better than Christine When she finished she looked for approval it showed that she wasn't sure if she'd had approval or not ever accept that she could sing and she sung a WHOLE lot better than Carlotta.

Erik scowled at this new girl. It was impossible for anyone, especially of her age, to have a voice so perfect. Erik didn't feel that this was normal and suspicion lurked in him like a black pit at the bottom of the stomach. Then Kia blinked.

"I'd rather not take the role perhaps if there is anyone else possible..." She said gently eyes pleading for Christine and Meg to do something.

Christine felt Kia's eyes upon her and shrunk back into the shadows, quivering. She suspected her angel would be annoyed at her lack of confidence but she wasn't too sure about being in the spotlight just yet.

Kia's eyes weren't sharp or hardened they were soft and pleading.

She mouthed, "Help me out, if you can, please!" If Christine thought she was nervous Kia was ten times worse. It was almost palpable. Meg looked at Kia encouragingly, silently reassuring her. Kia bit her lip looking around and sighed.

"I sang, is that all?" she asked gently like a child waiting to be reprimanded or praised.

"As long as you feel fit to sing Alyssa tonight!" said Firmin enthusiastically.

Kia nodded.

"I'll sing as long as I'm wanted here." She said gently. She said it gently so she didn't sound over confident and needy. "I just gotta know what I'm supposed to do and I'll do it..." She said kindly and honestly.

"Excellent! André, we will have a full house after all!" Firmin exclaimed happily, throwing up his hands.

Christine breathed a sigh of relief. She longed to perform, that was true, but she wanted to really impress her angel, and at that time, she didn't feel ready. Madame Giry tapped her cane on the floor and Christine, along with the other ballerina's, went back to their formation. Madame Giry was a little disappointed that Christine didn't, or rather wouldn't, sing but Miss Kia was able to sing quite nicely. Christine would sing though, if Erik had anything to do with it. All in good time.


End file.
